Set to take place March 3-6 in Okeechobee, Florida, the inaugural Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival is shaping up to be one of most promising festivals of early 2016. Although a newcomer, Okeechobee shows all the indications of being able to provide fans with a truly significant musical experience. From the artists slated to play to the transformation of the Florida grasslands, Okeechobee is going the extra lengths to create a memorable festival, one where attendees will look forward to returning every year!

Here now are the only three reasons you should need to attend to Okeechobee:

1. Location, Location, Location

Just like any real estate agent will tell you, location is king. What better way to leave the dreary weather of a March behind than to head South to beautiful, warm Okeechobee, FL and Sunshine Grove, the venue to the first Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. Removed from the hustle and bustle of the city and contained on 800 acres of pristine grasslands, Okeechobee promises to be one of the most plush festival destinations of the season, offering a number of dynamic scenic backdrops to take in the sights and sounds of the festival.

Campgrounds will surround the area known as The Grove (the main venue) and Moonlight Oasis, a central gathering space where attendees will have a number of different options at their disposal including Jungle 51, Aquachobee Beach, and ChobeeWobee Village. These areas have been carefully designed and curated to transport the festival attendee into an alternate reality altogether. There will be never be a shortage of things to do at OMF16, that’s for sure. Take a closer look at Sunshine Grove here.

2. A Synthesis Of The Musical Spectrum

Needless to say, one of the greatest deciding factors for attending the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival this March is the depth and dynamic artist lineup. Someone who ends up going to OMF16 to see some of the electronic superstars like Bassnectar, Skrillex, and Odesza is also going to get the opportunity to see legendary artist Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Americana folk band The Avett Brothers, or the world-renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band. One of the most charming features of a festival is its propensity to turn people on to new music and expose them to experiences they may have never had access to before. Okeechobee will succeed on all those fronts, bringing together music from all across the spectrum.

Some of the strongest genres to be represented at OFM16 this year are Rap, Hip Hop, and R&B, and it all starts at the top with one of the hottest hip-hop artists making music, Kendrick Lamar. Lamar is coming off a prolific 2015 in which his album To Pimp a Butterfly debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in its first week, earning a staggering 11 nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rap Album. Alongside Lamar, OMF16 will feature talent like Atlanta product Future, Fetty Wap of “Trap Queen” fame, Big Grams, made up of Big Boi and electronic rock duo Phantogram, as well as Pittsburgh kid Mac Miller, whose 11 mixtapes include a heavy-hitting lineup of collaborators: Kendrick Lamar, Bun B, Rick Ross and Juicy J.

Scroll further on down Okeechobee’s lineup and one doesn’t have to go very far to recognize the quality that remains throughout the festival: Mumford &  Sons, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Ween, Miguel, Grace Potter, Jason Isbell, Big Gigantic, Gramatik, Portgual. The Man, RL Grime, Kill The Noise, Dr. Dog, Lotus, Lettuce, Deer Tick and that’s just naming a few. Do not sleep on this greatly balanced lineup! (See the entire list below)

3. Mind-Blowing Curated Experiences

When you’re not getting your mind blown at one of of Okeechobee’s three stages, why not go get lost for a little bit in one of the curated areas the festival has set up? From rest and relaxation to all out dance parties, OMF16 will have you covered for the weekend.

Jungle 51 is the area where Martians have crashed into the forest and have left a dusk-til-dawn dance party in it’s wake. A potential landing spot for the late-night crowd, Jungle 51 will see plenty of hypnotic beats from artists like Damian Lazarus, Virginia, Marcel Fengler, Anton Zap, Voiski, John Aquavivia, and rRoxymore.

Aquachobee will provide festival goers a chance to soak up some afternoon rays and take a dip on the beach whilst listening to some groovy tunes, maybe even hang out in one of Okeechobee’s palapas and enjoy a fruity beverage. Tunes will be supplied by Hermitude, Twiddle, Manic Focus, Life On Planets, Jan Blomqvist, The Whitest Taino Alive, Mixmaster Morris, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Last but not certainly least, if it’s not enough to just feed the body at a festival, ChobeeWobee Village will aid in feeding and recalibrating the mind and the soul. Within this community, the festival is inspiring attendees to embrace their inner weird. The Village will feature Yogachobee and other workshops during the day as well as live artists creating works before your very eyes. The festival puts it best when they say, “This is a place for healing, meditation, reflection on the epic musical moments that we’ve shared, re-centering, yoga and much much more.”

What else more could one look for in a festival?

Tickets are on sale now for the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival and can be found here.